Bridge
by SaliHall
Summary: This is the sequel to "Black Smoke and Revelations" and will make absolutely no sense without it.  Dean and Sam revisit Stars Hollow almost 8 years later; after they finally figured out why there was an attack on Rory G. and Dean F. AU for Gilmore Girls.
1. 11 October 2008

**11 October 2008**

The Impala pulled into a parking space up the street from Luke's Diner. They looked in the windows and saw that it was fairly busy. Sam looked at his brother, "Well the diner is still there, still called Luke's, stands to reason that Luke is still in town."

"We'll go in and see." Dean smiled, "Maybe this time we can eat there. I hear they have great pie."

"Dean, when did you hear that?" Sam sounded exasperated.

Dean shrugged and grinned, "All small town diners have great pie."

Sam looked at him, "Not true; Apple Creek, Ohio? You said the pie was a stale, frozen one."

"Yeah, but…"

"Wallace, Idaho? The pie there had more than one hair in it." Sam was starting to enjoy this.

"An exception…"

"Forsythe, Georgia? The diner had pie, sure, and it might have been good, but the place was so dirty, we couldn't eat it off the plate or use the fork. Didn't we get sick just from drinking the coffee? How does _that_ happen?"

"Sam!" Irritated, Dean turned and got out of the car. Smirking a little, Sam followed. They paused for a moment and looked around at the little town. From their memories, they could see that nothing much had changed, except the décor. It had been early spring the last time they were there and now there were Halloween and fall decorations all over the place; around the gazebo, in windows and along the sidewalks, everywhere, except in front of the diner. As one, they turned and crossed the street to enter Luke's.

Dean went through the door first. A young Asian woman was clearing a table near the door and she glanced up at the new arrivals. She only saw Dean and wondered where she'd seen him before, but she smiled at them and turned away to continue her work. Dean vaguely recognized her as Rory's friend, the one who had figured it all out.

"I'll have this table cleared for you in a minute, if you can hang tight."

Dean and Sam stood there waiting while she efficiently cleared the table. When she was done, she looked up at the men again. She was surprised when her attention turned to Sam. "Dean! I didn't see you! What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in Canaan, today?"

Sam remembered the girl as well, so he smiled at her and softly said, "I'm not Dean. He is."

The dishes she was holding fell from her suddenly nerveless hands. The crash was loud and surprising and many of the patrons turned around to stare.

"Sam and Dean Winchester?" She whispered.

They nodded.

Keeping her tone low, she leaned toward them and said, "I heard you were dead!"

Dean was surprised by that, "What?"

She nodded; there was still a shocked look on her face, "Last spring when I saw Angelina, she told me you were dead."

"When was that?"

"March, I think; I cried for a week! So did Rory and Lorelai! We'd already heard about John! I'm so sorry."

At the mention of their dad, both boys were suddenly saddened. It had been two years since he'd died, and the boys still missed him.

"Lane!" A bellow was heard from the back room. Luke came in and started yelling when he saw that Lane hadn't even begun to clean up the mess she had just made. "You need instructions on how to clean up broken dishes?"

Lane jumped a foot when Luke started yelling and she turned and ran to get the stuff to clean up the mess. Sam and Dean sat down at the table she had just cleared.

As she passed Luke, she stopped and whispered in his ear, "It's Sam and Dean Winchester. You need to call Lorelai and Rory."

Luke started at that, he remembered the girls' reactions when they heard the boys had died. "They're dead!"

"Apparently not," She got the broom and dust bin and swept up the mess.

As she passed him again with the mess for the trashcan in the back room, he stopped her again, "How?"

"I don't know. I haven't had a chance to talk to them."

Luke nodded. He'd never had a chance to talk to the boys when they were there seven years ago. He'd heard about the uncanny resemblance between Sam and Dean Forester, though. He moved over to the table and nodded at them. He refused to stare like an idiot at Sam, so he just looked at his order pad. "What'll you have?"

"How's your pie?" Dean was smiling devilishly at his brother.

"It's excellent, I have…"

"No hair? Clean dishes? Made fresh?" Dean never looked away from his brother's face.

Immediately, Luke was infuriated. He glared at Dean, "What the hell are you talking about?"

Dean just turned and gave him a smile, "Just making a point to my brother here… I'll have a bacon cheeseburger and fries and apple pie, if you've got it. A cup of coffee, too."

Luke nodded, still irritated, and turned to Sam. "And you?"

Sam was wearing an irritated, bitchy face that he was directing toward Dean. He looked up at Luke, "A Cobb Salad and coffee, please."

Luke nodded and stalked away.

Lane was still handling the other diner customers, but the crowd had thinned out and she had time to examine the brothers. She could see something was seriously wrong with them. Despite Dean's smile, they both looked hopeless, worn-out, and dispirited. She felt she could tell the difference between Dean Forester and Sam Winchester now without trouble.

As she finished a table and moved to the kitchen, she paused at their table. "Please don't leave until I can talk to you."

They nodded. A few moments later, Lane brought out their food and served them. "We need to warn Lorelai, _our_ Dean and Rory."

"Are they okay?"

"Oh sure, It's just… they were really torn up about your dad and then you…" Lane was fidgeting with her order pad. "Well, I'll let you eat in peace."

The diner was empty by the time they finished their meal and they waited while Lane wrote up their check. Dean and Sam both moved over to the counter to talk to Lane.

She smiled nervously at them. They had changed a lot in the last seven years and were more than a little intimidating. Dean was tall and Sam, like Dean Forester, had grown a couple more inches. She was surprised to see that Sam was taller than his older brother. They were both broader in the shoulder, too. They had clearly matured into men, but it was the look in their eyes that had her really uneasy.

"Luke called Lorelai and she's going to be at the inn the rest of the day. She wants you to go there. She'll put you up. She's calling Rory and Dean."

"We can't afford the Independence Inn."

"Oh, she's not at the Independence anymore; it burned down. She owns her own inn now; The Dragonfly." On the back of a blank order page, Lane drew up directions to the new inn. "Don't worry about paying, she'll give you the same deal she gave your dad every time he visited. She knows she owes him and you."

Dean took the directions with a shocked look on his face. "He came here more than once?"

Lane was surprised, "You didn't know?"

The boys looked at each other and turned again to Lane, "No." They spoke in unison.

Lane nodded, "He was here after Dean's father called him when Rory went into labour. He was here again for about three or four days around the time Rand turned six months old. After that, he never came back. Apparently, he would call Lorelai and check in once in a while, though. Did you know he was Rand's Godfather?"

"Rand?"

"Rory had a baby boy. She gave him a huge name!" Lane was smiling, "Randall Richard Gilmore Forester. It's okay though, he's growing into it just fine. He turned seven a couple of weeks ago."

Dean was reeling from the news that John had been here without him knowing. He turned to Sam, "Why did he keep that a secret?"

Sam just shrugged. At the time of John's visits to Stars Hollow, Sam had been in his first year at Stanford and dealing with the knowledge that he was cut off from his family.

The boys walked back out to The Impala and got in. Dean just sat there a moment. Sam took a deep breath. He had an idea, "Dean, remember after the accident with the semi, Dad told you the secret about me. He knew then what I found out months later. Yellow Eyes visited me in my nursery _on my sixth month birthday_ and," Sam took another breath, "he bled into my mouth; fed me his demon blood. Yellow Eyes _told_ me it was me he came for, not Mom."

Dean turned to look at him and nodded. "We never knew for sure why the Imps attacked Rory and Dean, but Dad and Bobby had a theory that whoever ordered the attack wanted the baby to be born."

Sam nodded, "We know a sixth month birthday is significant in some way. Dad came back and – and – I don't know… maybe he was here to protect the baby somehow."

Dean started the car and put it in gear. "We have to find out what happened and check on that kid. Hopefully, Dad was successful."

"What do we tell them?"

"Well, we'll tell them the demon we think is responsible is dead. That's news they have the right to know. But whether we tell them the rest… I don't know." He glanced at the directions and pulled away.

Michel was standing at the front desk and glanced up when he saw Dean enter. "I think you are lost." He spoke with a snooty, French accent. He noticed Sam come in behind Dean.

Dean and Sam had not had to deal with Michel the last time they were in Stars Hollow, so his comment caught them by surprise.

Dean raised his eyebrows and glanced around, "This the Dragonfly?"

Michel looked back down at his paperwork, dismissing him, "It is."

"Then we aren't lost." Dean growled.

Michel decided to ignore him and looked up at Sam. "Your mother-in-law is in the kitchen."

Sam decided that this guy was a dick and started to walk past him without correcting him; Dean followed.

Michel didn't know who the scruffy guy with Rory's husband was, but was still certain he was lost. He didn't really care, though, so he went back to his work, again.

Sam looked around and found the dining room. It stood to reason that the kitchen was beyond it.

As he approached a likely door, it opened and Lorelai stepped out. They nearly collided and Sam reached out to grab her arms when she stumbled back.

"Oh! Dean! How'd you get here so fast?"

Sam just smiled at her and didn't say anything.

Lorelai's eyes went wide with surprise, "Sam?"

He nodded.

Lorelai looked behind him and saw Dean.

To their complete surprise, Lorelai grabbed both Winchesters and gave them a fierce hug. "Oh! I'm so happy to see you!"

When she let go, she turned and opened the door behind her. "Hey Sookie! Now's your chance." She turned back around to the boys and smiled, "She never got the chance to see you the last time you were here. She never really believed us when we told her how much you and Dean, _our_ Dean, looked alike." She moved away from the door and whispered. "We never told her or Luke the real story. They still think drugs were involved and John was a private investigator we hired."

They nodded. So far, they hadn't said anything.

Lorelai looked at them and smiled, "Come on, we'll get you settled, Rory will be here soon and Dean will be here in about an hour."

Finally Sam spoke, "The guy at the front desk called you my mother-in-law. They got married?

Smiling, Lorelai nodded, "A year ago last month."

Just then Sookie came out of the kitchen. The boys turned to look at her and Dean grinned. He couldn't resist her smile, it was infectious. He was a sucker for dimples.

"These are John's boys? Ohhh, they're so handsome! And big! Boy, every time I talked to John, he just couldn't stop talking about you guys. I feel as if I know you!" She reached up and hugged Dean and then moved over and hugged Sam. Neither one of them could explain why they felt so comfortable with her. After she hugged Sam, she grabbed his face and examined it. "You look just like him! I don't believe it and I'm seeing it with my own eyes!" She giggled.

She pulled back so she could look at both of them, "Now tell me your favourite breakfast and I'll have it for you in the morning! No wait! Let me guess!" She turned to Dean, "Blueberry pancakes?"

He smiled and nodded.

She turned to Sam. "I think, for you, a Southwestern Egg White Omelet."

She was a good foot shorter than Sam and he looked down at her. He was a little thrown, but he nodded and gave her a slight smile.

"Great! I am an excellent Southwestern Egg White Omelet and blueberry pancake chef. Well, not together! I cook some of each… oh well, you'll see. You'll love it! I'll have it for you when you come down, okay? Okay! Good!" Laughing, she turned around and moved back into the kitchen.

Smiling, Dean looked at Lorelai, "What was that?"

Lorelai laughed, "_That_ was a Sookie. She's an _amazing_ chef; she's also co-owner of the Inn." She turned again to the front desk, "Come on, I'll get you checked in."

Dean reached out and stopped her. "Uh, do we have to go on the books?"

Lorelai looked troubled, "Does this have anything to do with your being dead?"

Sam and Dean both nodded.

"Well, we'll check you in as Sam and Dean…"

Dean supplied a name for her, "Rudd?"

She nodded, "Okay… it's just that everyone here in town knows you're Winchesters."

Sam piped up at that, "Everyone thinks our dad was a private investigator, right?"

Lorelai nodded.

"Tell them we are, too. Tell them… tell them we're undercover."

Lorelai laughed, "Okay. Small town. Everyone will go along with it." She quickly moved to the front desk and nudged Michel out of the way. "We need a suite or a room with two queens."

"What does Rory's husband need with a room?"

"That's not Dean."

"What do you mean, that is not Dean? He looks just like him." At that moment, Michel decided he didn't care, "Anyway, we are completely booked."

"No, we aren't."

"Yes. We are."

"Michel, have I introduced you to my good friends Sam and Dean?"

Michel looked at Lorelai with surprise, "You just said it wasn't Dean!"

Lorelai pointed to Sam, "That's not Dean." She then pointed to Dean, "That's Dean." She pointed back to Sam, "That's Sam. They're my good friends; they're John's sons."

"Oh! They are good friends of yours?" He gave them a big, fake smile. "They are John's sons? That is different!" He lost his smile and turned to Lorelai, "We are still booked up."

"Michel!"

"Fine! We can put them in the Bridal Suite. The Anderson/Jeffrey's party cancelled their wedding. The Groom ran off with the Matron of Honour."

"Michel, the Bridal Suite only has one bed! And that's not true! The Groom ran off with the Best Man."

"Whatever. We are booked solid."

Lorelai looked at her reservations. "Move the Gillespies into the Bridal Suite and include a bottle of champagne and comp their dinner for their trouble. Have housekeeping help move them and then clean their room quickly. Sam and Dean can have it." She looked up at the boys, "It's a room with two queen size beds. Is that okay?"

They both nodded.

Michel looked defeated. He moved back to the computer, "Fine, what is their last name?"

"Uh… Rudd"

"I will need identification and a credit card."

Lorelai looked nervous, "I'm comping their room… here, I'll do this. You go and get the Gillespies moved. Only you will be able to sooth them if they get mad."

Michel smirked, "This is true." He left.

Lorelai sighed, "I'll finish this. It'll be awhile before the room is ready; why don't you go into the parlor. I'll send Rory in when she gets here." She pointed to a room at the front of the inn. "We can have privacy when everyone gets here."

Sam and Dean nodded and turned to go into the room. Dean leaned into Sam, "What a dick!" he whispered. Sam just nodded.

Rory entered the inn with a baby carrier in one hand and a little boy holding her other. Sam and Dean had seen her coming through the front window and had moved to the door to greet her.

"Daddy!" The little boy had launched himself into Sam's arms the minute he saw him. Only Sam's well honed reflexes made it possible for him to catch the little boy.

Dean was surprised to see that the little boy looked a lot like Sam when he was that age. It stood to reason, though, since Sam and the child's father were identical.

"Uh… Rand?" Sam was supremely uncomfortable holding the little boy and tried to set him down, but Rand just clutched his neck tighter. Sam quickly got used to the child hugging him, though.

When her son let go of her hand, Rory turned to see where he was going. She was a little surprised at the men standing in the doorway. It still astounded her how much her Dean and Sam Winchester looked alike. Even their hair was the same. She moved over to them quickly. She first hugged Dean and then handed him the baby carrier. Then she turned to Sam. She giggled a little at the look on his face, but she noticed that he was hugging her son as tightly as Rand hugged him.

She reached up and put her hand under her son's arm. She spoke gently, "Rand? This isn't Daddy. This is a close friend of ours, his name is Sam and your daddy and he just look alike."

Rand pulled away to look at Sam again. "You aren't my Daddy?"

Sam shook his head, "No, little man, I'm not."

Rand made motions to get down, "Sorry."

Sam put him down and smiled. "That's okay. I've never had a better greeting."

Rand smiled shyly at him and turned to his mother. "Can I go see Aunt Sookie?"

"May I…"

Rand rolled his eyes, "_May I_ go see Aunt Sookie, please?"

"Go ahead, one cookie, though."

"Awww!" He ran off.

Rory watched him for a moment and then turned to the men behind her. She hugged Sam and then just studied them for a moment. Dean smiled at her as he held up the baby carrier, "What's this?"

Rory smiled back at him. "That's our new daughter Christina Barbara Gilmore Forester." She took the baby carrier from him.

"That's quite a handle."

Rory grinned at him, "She can take it; we call her Gilly. Rand came up with it."

Sam and Dean had never had occasion to hold a baby, so they were naturally nervous when Rory took the carrier into the parlor and uncovered, unsnapped and unstrapped the little thing. Then she pulled out the tiny girl and held her up for them to see. She laughed at their expressions. "Relax; I'm not going to have you hold her; although I'd pay good money to see it. You know, your dad was the first non-family to hold Rand."

Dean looked at her, "I heard he was Rand's godfather?"

She nodded sadly, "We had Rand baptized in a Catholic Church. It was Lane's idea. John thought it was a good one. He said anointing Rand with holy water would help. He never explained that, though. Lane is his godmother."

Wanting to change the subject, Dean pointed to the baby and asked, "How old is she?"

Rory laughed again, "Seriously? Okay, she's 12 weeks old today.

Sam's mind calculated quickly and he smiled at her, "She get started on the honeymoon?"

Rory laughed, "Close, we never tried _not_ to get pregnant and it just happened pretty quickly."

Dean nodded. He'd spent his entire sexual history trying hard not to get anyone pregnant, so this was a foreign concept.

Sam, Dean and Rory sat in the parlor for awhile and talked; catching each other up on their lives since they'd seen each other seven years ago. Rory was impressed to hear that Sam had gotten a full ride to Stanford, but disappointed when he told her that he'd left.

Both boys were impressed that she had managed to stay on track and go to Yale despite everything.

The boys did not tell her what they had found out about Sam and Yellow Eyes and of course, they didn't tell her about Dean dying and being in Hell. They were still dealing with the ramifications of that fact themselves. They didn't tell her about the angel Castiel, either.

There was a short interruption when Gilly woke up and needed some motherly attention. Rory took her out of the room to change and nurse her. Normally, she would have stayed in the parlor and just closed the curtains and door, but she didn't want to freak out the Winchesters.

While she was out, Lorelai came in with cups of coffee and cakes and cookies compliments of Sookie. She stayed until Rory returned and then left again. She was dealing with Inn business so that she would be free for the discussion when Dean got there.

It was a little over the estimated hour before Dean arrived; Rory met him at the door and led him into the room where the Winchesters waited.

Dean Forester had also gained more inches during the intervening years and he still looked exactly like Sam. They both had longish hair and it was still the same colour. Dean's eyes, however, weren't clouded with weary sorrow and despair. When the two men looked at each other, they were aware that at least one thing was different.

Dean smiled at the Winchesters and reached his hand out to shake, "Man, I am glad to see you. The girls were very upset about your death. I admit it threw me, too."

The Winchesters smiled and shook hands with Sam's double. Sam sat down and grinned at him, "I guess it's up to me to make the obligatory quote 'The reports of our death have been greatly exaggerated.'"

Rory groaned at that and then asked, "Yeah, but why? Why did Angelina tell us you had died?"

Dean answered that one, "Because in the eyes of the law, we did."

They gave a very brief description of what happened, but skipped the truly frightening part at the end about Lilith.

After they told their story, Rory shook her head, "That just leads to more questions, doesn't it? You should write this down."

"God, no!" Dean shuddered, "I would hate to see our story in print."

Lorelai came in at that point, "Finally, I'm free. We can talk in here. The guests are out and about or in their rooms, dinner is still a couple of hours away and Michel has been given instructions that I can't be interrupted." She handed Sam a key, "Your room is ready."

She sighed as she sat down and then smiled at the boys. "I am genuinely happy to see you, alive and well, but why did you come here? Lane called and told me that you never knew that John came back for more visits. So I don't think you're here to follow up."

The boys looked at Dean, "What about your parents?"

Dean smiled, "They're at a Parent's Weekend with Clara at her college. She's a freshman at Duke." He grinned at Dean, "She's gonna hate that she missed _you_."

Dean Winchester blushed a little at that; he remembered the little girl and her crush. "Yeah, well, tell her hello for me." Then he rubbed his hands together and looked at Sam, who was smirking a little. He decided to start with the most important part, "We have news about the attack on Rory and Dean. We think we know who ordered it and if we're right, we can tell you he's dead."

In an effort to stay calm, Rory and her Dean clasped hands, "How do you know?" Rory voice was trembling. She cleared her throat, "Are you sure?"

Sam answered her, "Not 100%, no, but… lets say we're... 98% sure it was him."

"Why?" Dean voice was low and urgent. "Why did they attack us and cause Rory's pregnancy?"

"I don't know why."

"Then how do you know it was him?"

"It was something he said to me." Sam was looking at the ground, and then he glanced at his brother. Dean just shrugged. Sam sighed, "He told me he was looking for the best of my generation. And then he told me there were other generations. He never explained that."

At that, all three Stars Hollows residents were clamoring with questions and Sam held up his hand. "Wait a minute! We still only have conjecture." He stood up and started to pace a little. The room didn't allow much movement, though.

"When we got here, Lane told us Dad had been here two more times and that he called after that."

Lorelai nodded. "Before he left the first time, he told us he would be back to set up safe areas for the baby. Randy called him the minute he found out Rory was in labour. She was still working on that when he arrived. He couldn't have been far away."

Dean pulled out his dad's journal and opened it. "When was Rand born?"

"September 25, 2001"

Dean looked at the journal and found the pages leading up to that date. He looked up at Sam, tapping his finger on one of the pages, he said, "Dad and I were in New England that whole month. I remember that! He kept finding little hunts in this area. Some of them weren't even very serious. He just kept us here. Finally, one night he took off. He called me from the road and told me he would be back soon." Dean rubbed his face, "He left me stranded in a hotel, near a bunch of bars, restaurants and a movie theatre. The hotel was a lot better than usual. He left me stranded, but he knew he was going to have to do it. He wouldn't tell me what he was doing or why he did it. When he came back, he still wouldn't say anything."

While Dean was talking, Sam sat down and took the journal. He flipped through some of the pages before and after that time. Then he started to go back farther, to the April they came here; and then he looked even further back. When he looked up at Lorelai, he had a perplexed look on his face. He held up the book, "Was this the journal he was using? Do you remember seeing this book?"

Lorelai shook her head, "No, he had a smaller one. Both of the times he was here alone; I only saw a small notebook." She nodded her head at the journal in Sam's hands, "I think I remember that one from your first visit though. He was using it when he talked to Dean."

Dean knew his brother had discovered something in the journal, "Why are you asking that, Sam?"

"Because, if you look at this journal? And all of Dad's notes about the thing that killed Mom? They stop just before our first visit here in April 2001."

Sam and Dean looked at each other for a moment. They realized their Dad had known as early as 2001 that the thing that killed mom hadn't come for her, but for Sam. "Jesus" Sam rubbed his face. "What else did Dad keep from us?"

While this drama was played out in front of them, the Gilmore-Forester trio waited. They knew there was more and were waiting for Sam and Dean to continue.

Dean was thinking hard, "Later, we need to call Bobby. See if he has that other notebook, Caleb's and Pastor Jim's were also probable places he could have kept it. If that's the case, then it's probably long gone. It wasn't in the truck when we went to retrieve it in Lincoln."

Lorelai was getting impatient, and she waited as long as she could, then she couldn't take it any longer "What is it? Why is that notebook so important?"

Sam smiled apologetically, "We don't know." He turned to his brother again, "What were you and Dad doing in March 2002?"

Lorelai chimed in again, "John arrived here March 23rd." She blushed when everyone looked at her. "I don't… really… know why I remember that."

Rory looked at her mom, "Sure you don't."

Dean smirked and looked at the journal again. "I was given my first solo hunt that week! It was a simple salt and burn, but Dad didn't go with me. He told me he was gonna wait at the hotel and that's also the week he gave me The Impala! We were in Illinois. The hunt was in Gary, Indiana. When I got back, Dad had the truck."

Dean Forester chimed in. "A truck? Was it a big black GMC?"

"Yeah," Dean looked at him curiously.

"He got that from Gypsy." Smiling, he looked at the others, "She'd bought it in a sheriff's sale. She lost it to John in a poker game. Everyone was surprised, because Gypsy was hell at poker."

Dean laughed, "I've always wondered how he'd paid for that. He had a pink slip and everything."

Getting back to the point, Dean looked at Rory and asked her, "Wasn't that the week of the fire?"

Sam and Dean both looked up at that. They had a sinking feeling in their stomachs. In unison, they both said, "Fire?"

Lorelai, Rory and Dean looked at them, but Lorelai answered, "There was a fire in our house. It took out Rory's bedroom, part of the upstairs, the kitchen and some of the porch."

Sam looked at her intently, "Where were you? Where were Rory and the baby?"

"John asked us to leave the house the day before. Come to think of it, the fire happened on Rand's sixth month birthday…" Lorelai was watching their expressions. "He took us to Angelina's house. We stayed there three days. He wouldn't even let us leave when we were called about the fire. When we came back, we lived at the inn for about three months, while the house was fixed. Is that important?"

Sam and Dean looked at each other; Sam answered, "Maybe… we don't know. When you were at Angelina's, was there a fire there? Did you leave Rand alone at any time?"

Lorelai shook her head, "John told us to keep Rand with us at all times. He and Angelina painted signs all over the room we were staying in and in front of the doors to the house; he lined the entire house, every window, every doorway, every possible entrance with salt…" She looked at Rory, "Rory or I were holding Rand almost constantly. Rand was wrapped in a blanket that John had brought that had… he called them sigils, painted on it in fabric paint. We still have it. Gilly sleeps under it at night."

Rory stood up; then she handed the baby to her mother and turned to look at the Winchesters. "What's going on? I can tell you're keeping something from us. I need to know!"

Sam stood up and took her arms. He looked into her eyes and said, "There _are_ things we aren't telling you. Believe me, you don't want to know. But we are going to tell you as much as we can." He urged her to sit back down.

He looked at his brother, who just nodded, "The demon, we call him Yellow Eyes, came to our home and killed our mother on my sixth month birthday." He looked at Dean Forester, "On the actual day of your birth, Dean."

He ran his hands through his hair, "He killed our mom in a fire that started in my nursery."

Lorelai was horrified, "Oh God! Rory was the target?"

Sam rubbed his hands together, this next part would be hard for them to hear, "No, neither Rory nor our mom was the target; I was, and… Rand was."

Dean Winchester had been watching Rory and was ready when she started to run for the door. He grabbed her and brought her around to face him, "Don't go running for that boy. All you'll do is scare him. We looked at him when you guys came in and he looks just fine. From what Lane said, he's healthy, smart and strong. We didn't see anything that would say otherwise. It sounds like Dad had the baby locked down. I don't know of anything that can pass all those wards."

He gave her a gentle, little shake, "Calm down." He smiled at her and moved her back over to the chair she'd been sitting in beside her husband.

Sam had been watching his double, but Dean just sat there in shock. Finally, he looked at Sam with a devastated look on his face. "What did that demon want with you?"

Sam shook his head and whispered, "I don't want to tell you. I will if I need to, but not right now."

The Winchesters stopped talking for a moment to give the others a chance to process everything and then Dean spoke next, "What did our dad do while he was here?"

Rory and Dean were looking at each other and holding hands. Lorelai answered, "Uh, when John arrived the first time, Rory was still in the Labour and Delivery room. Rand hadn't arrived yet. He went into the room and set some symbols around. He gave Rory a rosary and told her to hold onto it."

Dean Forester spoke up then, "He gave one to me as well. He also tried to draw something on the floor, but it wouldn't work. The hospital staff wouldn't let him."

Lorelai continued, "We told him we weren't Catholic, but he said it was a powerful deterrent. Rory and Dean were still wearing the charms John had given them before he left the first time."

Dean perked up at that, "Charms?" He nudged Sam with his elbow and they both pulled back their shirts. "Did they look like this?" They showed the others their tattoos.

Everyone nodded, Dean Forester gave a small smile, "I have one of those, Dad took me and we got it done when I turned 18. My mom cried for a week."

Dean Winchester smiled a little, "Where'd you put it?"

"We didn't think it would matter where it was, so I put it on the small of my back. He got one, too; same place. Mom was not amused; especially when he took Clara to get one before she left for school. My older sister refuses a tattoo, so she has my charm. Dad had a gold one made for Mom and she wears it on a long chain under her clothing. It's a pentagram and she doesn't want anyone to see it."

He glanced at Rory, and then turned back around, "I can't talk Rory into having it done. She still wears the charm."

Rory was once again holding her daughter, quietly she said, "Tattoos hurt." She had tears in her eyes as she looked at the Winchester brothers, "Can you tell if Rand was… if John was successful in protecting Rand?"

Dean looked at Sam, and then turned to answer her, "I don't know. We can see."

Rory looked at Sam, "Did someone protect you?"

Sam didn't answer her and wouldn't look at her either.

Quietly she asked him, "Did _you_ kill the demon?"

Dean answered her, "I did; in May of '06.

Sam looked up then, "I'm so sorry. We should have contacted you right then. I didn't remember until two days ago."

Dean looked at his brother, "A lot has happened between then and now." He laughed a little bitterly, "A lot."

Sam was rubbing his forehead as if he had a headache and then he stood up. "I need a break." He got up and walked out of the room.

Dean looked at the others, "He, uh… he gets headaches sometimes. I'll go see if he's alright." He left the room to follow his brother.

Lorelai looked at Rory and Dean, "Let's stop here. I want to go see Will and Bess and Luke. Maybe take a shower. Rory, you need to be careful how you are with Rand. Dean's right, you'll only frighten him if you freak out. There's no reason to think John wasn't successful." She stood up, "I'll go peel him away from Sookie and bring him to you, okay?"

Dean found Sam walking to The Impala. "The car's locked, you want something from it?"

Sam shook his head, and then he stopped and turned to Dean, "God! What if he wasn't successful? What if whatever is in me is also in that little boy? What do we do?"

"We deal with it and we help them deal with it. Maybe nothing will come of it. Yellow Eyes is dead. Your visions haven't returned have they?"

"Visions are the least of my problems Dean! I feel unclean… diseased… this will never be better! That bastard ruined my life! I can't –" He choked a little.

"What?"

"I can't stand it if that little boy has been damaged the same way."

"Sam –" Dean smiled at him a little, "Have you ever been hugged by a child before?"

Sam didn't look at him as he shook his head.

"It's something isn't it?"

Sam nodded. There were tears in his eyes. "Dean and I are identical. That's maybe what my own son would look like since Rand looks so much like his dad." He choked the next sentence out, "That's the closest I'll ever get to having a child of my own."

"Come on, Sam, you don't know that."

"I would _never_ risk –"

"What? Getting close to a woman? Maybe trying for that apple pie life?"

"I would never risk passing it on… and I don't get to _have_ the apple pie life, Dean." Sam tossed the key to the room to his brother and turned and walked away. "Don't follow me."

Dean watched his brother go. He knew that Sam was probably right; he also knew _he_ wouldn't get it, either. He went to the car for their gear and then went back into the inn.

Sam came back after about an hour and he lay down on the bed. He still looked upset and Dean let him know what they decided.

"Lorelai, Rory and Dean left. They thought they'd heard enough for today and asked if we could pick it up again tomorrow."

Sam just nodded.

"I told them we could. We still need to know what else Dad did that year, and see if we can…"

Sam nodded again.

Dean smiled at him, "Are you hungry? Apparently, Sookie left instructions that we were to be fed dinner and treated especially well. She likes us."

Sam looked at him then, "Yeah, we can go eat." He got up and went into the bathroom. When he came out, he looked at his brother, "I'm not very hungry, but I'll join you. Can we talk about something else, though?"

"Sure, Sammy," Dean turned to leave the room.

"Dean…"

Dean turned to look at him.

"Do you think you could contact the angel, Castiel? Maybe he would know…"

Dean looked at him with regret, "I don't know how to contact him. He just appears."

Sam looked unhappy about that, he nodded, and followed his brother out.

**AN: The title has nothing to do with any sort of structure****.  
>Thanks,<br>Sali.**


	2. 12 October 2008

**12 October, 2008**

The next morning, true to her word, Sookie sent out their breakfast soon after they appeared in the dining room. Sam was still upset, but he ate it because he was hungry and because it was delicious. He was silent during the meal; thinking very hard.

Sookie joined them at their table for a moment after they were finished. They were lingering over their coffee and she approached and sat down. "You know, John would sit for awhile after the breakfast rush was over and we would talk about you boys." She turned to Sam, "He was proud of both of you, and he bragged about you both, often." She put her hand over Sam's on the table. "He told me that you two had had a terrible fight, though. Did you get a chance to patch that up?"

Sam nodded at her.

"That's good to know." She patted his hand and turned to Dean. "Last time he was here, he told me he gave you his car. He said that you loved it more than anything. He knew you would take good care of it."

Dean smiled at her, "The Impala is right outside."

Sam spoke up then, "His baby is in great shape." He gave her a small smile.

Sookie smiled at him, "That's great! I'll come out and see it sometime. Jackson doesn't know anything about cars, neither do I, so don't bother showing me the engine."

Dean smiled at her, "Jackson?"

"My husband."

Dean nodded, "You have kids?"

"Four; Davey, Martha and the twins were born in June."

Dean looked aghast, "Four!"

She giggled at his expression, "I know, right? Four is a lot, but Jackson is great and we love them to pieces."

He leaned toward her and gave her a grin, "When you get a chance, I'll take you for a ride. There's nothing like a muscle car…"

She beamed at him, laughed and shook her finger, "I'll hold you to that!" Sookie stood up and sighed, "Well, my break is over. I'll see you two later." She patted both boys on the shoulder and returned to her kitchen.

Despite how relentlessly cheery Sookie was, both boys liked her and knew why John would wait for her. She was like a beacon in their dark lives.

The boys got up from the table and Sam decided to walk around the grounds of the hotel for awhile. Dean followed him; he knew something was on Sam's mind and he wanted to know what it was. Behind the inn, Sam and Dean discovered a paddock with a couple of horses in it. Remembering, Dean went into the barn and located a bucket with carrots in it. He took some, returned to Sam and gave them to him.

Sam laughed a little at that and nodded, "While I was at Stanford, we had to take gym classes. One quarter, they offered horseback riding. I'd always wanted to learn, so I took it."

Dean looked at him like he was crazy.

Sam grinned at him, "Don't look at me like that. The rest of the class was a bunch of chicks. I was _very_ popular."

"Like that Art History course?"

Sam grinned and nodded.

In a dry tone of voice, Dean said, "Well, it's good to see that you took your education seriously."

Sam laughed again.

At the promise of a treat, both horses came to the fence and Sam gave a carrot to first one and then the other. As they munched on the snack, Sam ran his hand down the neck of the one closest to him. "I loved learning how to ride. It's very freeing. After the class was over, I would go back and ride every couple of months. I took Jessica on our…" he paused for a moment to think, "Second date, I think."

"Sam…" Dean was worried that thinking of Jessica would upset Sam all over again.

"Its okay, Dean, I can think of Jessica sometimes and just remember the good parts." He smiled at his brother and started walking again. Dean followed. Sam didn't speak again and Dean was aware that Sam was still thinking about something very hard. His curiosity was burning him, but he didn't ask.

**SPNGGSPNGG**

Lorelai called Dean and arranged to meet the Winchesters at Luke's at 12:30. "We can go over to my house after lunch and finish all of this. That okay?"

Dean thought that was a good idea and let Sam know. All morning he had been watching Sam and wondered what the guy was doing – it was as if he was trying to remember something…

After lunch, they decided to walk to the house they had been in only a few times before and as they approached, they noticed some changes to the structure.

Lorelai smiled, "After the fire, Luke was the one who helped me fix this. He oversaw the repairs. We started to date shortly after that. He talked me into redoing the upstairs and designed an amazing bathroom. He knew, even if I didn't, that he wanted to marry me. We had a couple of hiccups, but he convinced me that I couldn't live without him. We added on again when we found out that I was carrying twins."

"You have more kids?" Dean smiled at her at that.

Lorelai grinned and nodded, "They're 1½ years old; a boy and girl, Will and Bess. A babysitter was watching them while I met you for lunch."

Sam was smiling about that, too.

They went into the house and looked around. Some things were the same, but they saw the differences when they looked into the kitchen. The babysitter came down and whispered that the babies had been fed and they were down for their nap. Then she left.

Lorelai rejoined them in the kitchen, "Sookie designed the kitchen, so it's a little better than I would have chosen. All I need for a kitchen is a coffee maker, a microwave and a fridge to hold the leftovers. Luke is the only one who cooks in this house, so he appreciates it more than I do."

She continued to prattle out of nervousness. She gestured to a door behind them, "Rory's room was re-built a little bigger and we made room for some shelves. She lost all of her books in the fire, but because she was so organized, we had a complete list on her computer. The insurance company was able to reimburse her for every one. April uses it when she stays here during her visits with her dad. Rand uses it, too, when I get to have him overnight."

"April?"

"Luke's daughter."

Dean nodded and Sam moved into the living room and sat down on the couch. He was rubbing his face with both hands. Dean and Lorelai both noticed and they followed him. Lorelai moved over and sat down beside him. "Sam, do you have another headache?" She put her hand on his shoulder.

He looked up at her and smiled, "No, actually, I'm praying."

That took Lorelai by surprise. "Oh, okay." Lorelai looked at Dean, but saw that he was just as surprised. He just shrugged at her and watched Sam go back to his prayers.

"Sammy?"

Sam looked at him.

Dean had a perplexed look on his face, "Whatcha doin'?"

Sam glanced over at Lorelai and then looked back at Dean, "I think you know."

"Seriously?"

"It's logical. They answer sometimes. At least that's what they teach in Sunday school."

"You've been praying all this time?"

"I've been praying since last night."

Lorelai couldn't stand it. "What are you guys talking about? Does this have anything to do with Rand?"

Dean looked at her. "I'm sorry. I don't know if I should answer you… You're gonna think we're crazy." He sighed and rubbed his face, "It's got something to do with Rand and whether or not Dad was successful."

"Why do I have the feeling you think someone will answer you?"

Sam looked at her, "Maybe someone will – it's what I've been praying for. I've been thinking of going to the church…"

"Sammy, he may be busy… You know why he's here."

Sam looked at him. "Maybe _you_ should go to the church and pray. He comes to you."

Lorelai looked at Dean, "Who's he?" She turned to Sam, a little freaked out, she asked, "Are you praying to God? Do you think He will answer?"

Dean grabbed her arms, "No, he's not praying to God and no, he doesn't think He will answer." He looked at his brother, "Sammy, help me out here."

Sam smiled, "Lorelai, angels are walking the earth right now and Dean knows one. We aren't crazy."

"Yes. You are."

"No. His name is Castiel."

Dean was rubbing his forehead, "Sam…"

Sam turned to his brother with an agonized look on his face, "Dean! I can't… not know! I think Castiel is the only one who can tell us for sure. _We_ can't tell for certain, and it's not like we can ask a demon."

"Well, what _about_ Ruby?"

"I don't want her anywhere near that boy!"

Dean was getting pissed, "That's good to know!"

"Dean…" Sam was pleading with his brother, "Please! Just… go to the church and pray. He may come to you when he won't come to me. I'll leave; maybe he'll come if I'm not around. Please!"

Dean looked at Lorelai who was trying not to freak out. He sighed, "Lorelai, I'm gonna go to the church. Where is it?"

"Why wouldn't the angel come if Sam is around? Who's Ruby?"

Sam wouldn't look at her, but he answered, not unkindly, "Don't ask about Ruby." Dean gave him the keys to the car, and he got up and left the house. He would walk to The Impala and take it back to the inn.

Dean was looking at the door, watching his brother leave. Then he turned to Lorelai, "I don't think Castiel likes him much."

She nodded as if she agreed, "Well sure, if an angel doesn't like you, you should make yourself scarce."

Dean scoffed at that, "There ya go. I'll try to contact Castiel. I don't have any guarantees, Lorelai; I'm putting my reputation on the line with you admitting that I talk to angels."

Lorelai nodded at that, "You surely are…"

"I'll be back in a little while." He grinned at her, "Where's the church?"

Lorelai gave him directions and when he left, she sat down on the couch to wait. She was stunned to learn that John's sons had gone crazy and she, being an expert, hadn't noticed until just then.

**SPNGGSPNGG**

Dean found the church on the opposite side of the village green from Luke's diner. When he went to the doors, he found them unlocked and the church itself was empty.

He walked slowly toward the altar and looked around, "Ah, geez…" Since he didn't know what to do, he decided to kneel. Feeling like a fool, he pressed his hands together and bowed his head, "Castiel? If you can hear me, I need a word…"

"I am _not_ at your beck and call."

Dean nearly pitched forward from the surprise of the voice behind him. "Holy Sh…!" Still on his knees, he turned around, "You scared me to death!"

Castiel was looking around at the little church with curiosity. Then he looked at Dean and almost smiled, "You don't need to kneel. I hear you just fine."

Feeling like a fool, Dean stood up, he growled, "Did you hear Sam?"

Castiel nodded. For a fleeting second, there was an irritated look on his face.

Dean got angry at that. "You know, Sam didn't ask for Yellow Eyes to do what he did. You don't need to act like he's the Antichrist."

Castiel looked at him with surprise, "Sam's not the Antichrist."

"Then why didn't you answer his prayer – prayers?"

"I was busy." Castiel was moving around the church and examining it's interior.

"What?" Dean demanded, "Too busy for Sam, but not too busy for me?"

Castiel glanced over at him and nodded, "Yes."

"Sam's right isn't he? You don't like him."

Castiel nodded again, "I don't."

Dean was seriously pissed at that, "You know, if this weren't so important to the family we're here to help or to Sam, I'd tell you to go to Hell."

Castiel looked at him curiously and tilted his head to the side, "I did go to Hell when I rescued you. I didn't like it and I don't want to go back." Once again, he got an irritated look on his face, but again, it was fleeting.

Dean had a surprised look on his face, but he scoffed, "Whatever."

"Why did you want to speak to me?"

Dean sighed, "We're here to see if Yellow Eyes got to a child that lives here."

"What do you mean?"

Dean told Castiel everything he knew about what happened to Rory and Dean almost 8 years ago and what happened when the child was 6 months old. "It fits … what Yellow Eyes told Sam, the fire… we think it's a strong possibility."

"Where is the child?"

Dean pulled out his cell phone and called Lorelai.

"_Hello?"_

"Lorelai, is Rand there yet?"

"_Yes, they arrived right after you left. I didn't tell them where you were going – or why."_

"I appreciate that. I'll be there in a few minutes…"

As he was speaking, Castiel touched his forehead and they were on the porch, in front of Lorelai's front door.

"– or right now." He was surprised and disconcerted, so he looked at the angel and gave him a withering glare. "Don't _do_ that!" He knocked on the door and Lorelai opened it looking flabbergasted.

"Dean! I thought you were at the church!"

Dean was still glaring at Castiel, "I was."

Castiel looked at the woman in the door, "Where is the child?"

Lorelai turned to him, "Who are you?"

"I am Castiel."

Lorelai looked him up and down, "You look like an accountant."

Dean laughed a little at that, and Castiel gave him a 'Did-you-put-her-up-to-that?' frown. He turned and looked again at Lorelai, "I am an Angel of the Lord"

Shocked, Lorelai responded, "Yeah, okay… well… that's what _you_ say."

Dean coughed to cover another laugh and Castiel glared at him. "Do you want my help or not?"

Lorelai gave Dean a confused look and then gestured them into the house.

Castiel entered first and looked around; Dean and Lorelai followed him. He turned to the left toward the living room where two people were standing. He looked at Dean Forester, "You are not Sam Winchester." He tilted his head studying him.

Dean shook his head, "No."

Castiel nodded. "Your family is related to the Campbell's."

Dean Forester shook his head again, "Not that I'm aware of."

"I'm not questioning; I'm stating a fact."

Dean looked at him confused, "Who are the Campbell's?"

Dean Winchester had a surprised look on his face. "My mother was a Campbell." He looked around at them and shrugged, "It makes sense, considering..." He gestured toward Dean's face. He looked at Rory, "Your friend, the bitchy little girl, _said_ it was genetically impossible."

He paused for a moment. He looked at Dean Forester, "You were probably the initial target." He turned to Rory with a sorry look on his face, "Rory was just the girl you were with."

The others stood there shocked; absorbing that new unwelcome bit of information.

Castiel was looking around the room and occasionally he would get the same irritated look on his face that Dean had noticed earlier. They all were watching him.

Finally he turned to Rory. "There are babies here. May I see them?"

Rory just looked at him, "There are two toddlers and an infant in the house. Do you want to see them all?"

Castiel nodded and Rory led him up to the second floor. Gilly, Will and Bess were all asleep in the twin's room. Castiel stood over each of them and smiled. "Angels love babies. We're attracted to them and they can be quite… distracting." He touched all three children on the forehead. "They won't wake up for a while." Despite being touched, none of them woke up, even though Bess was a very light sleeper. He turned around and went back down the stairs.

Rory looked at him as he left. "Angels?" She quickly glanced at the three little ones and then followed him.

Castiel had that irritated look on his face again as he came down the stairs. He looked at Dean, "Call Sam, tell him to stop praying."

Dean was already pissed at Castiel and this just made him angrier. "No." He growled, "That's what you get for ignoring him. You'll just have to put up with it."

Castiel went over to Dean and got all up in his personal space. "I am here. He doesn't need to keep praying. If you want my help, you'll get him to stop." His tone of voice was low and menacing.

The others standing in the room were suddenly very afraid of the person Dean had brought into the house.

Dean Forester was alarmed at the expression on Dean Winchester's face. He turned to the other man, "Who the hell are you?" He demanded.

Castiel turned around, "I told Lorelai."

Rory and Dean turned and looked at her mother. Lorelai shrugged, "He said he was an Angel of the Lord."

In unison, Rory and Dean turned again to Castiel. He had moved over in front of the fireplace and the room started to shake. It got dark and lightening flashed. As the lightening flashed they could see wings appear on the wall behind him like a shadow. They expanded across and bent at the angle of the walls. They were so big they nearly covered the entire room. They saw all of that in a matter of seconds.

"Holy Shit!" Dean Forester was shocked and appalled. Rory was grateful there was a couch behind her when she sat down, and Lorelai had grabbed Dean Winchester's arm in an attempt not to faint.

Even though Dean Winchester had seen Castiel's wings the night he met the angel, he still felt himself tremble as they appeared again before him. When the display was over, and to cover his fear and awe, Dean growled at the angel, "You know, Castiel? You've got a strong sense of the dramatic." He spoke with sarcasm dripping from his smart mouth. He looked at Lorelai to make sure she was all right and then moved over beside Rory and Dean to check them.

"It was necessary. They didn't believe me and they never would have."

Dean didn't answer him. Instead, he pulled out his cell phone to call his brother. Then he left the room.

After Dean talked to Sam, he came back into the room where he found the three humans watching the angel in their midst. Castiel was moving around and looking at the things Lorelai had decorated the room with. He had been in very few homes while on earth and he was curious about everything. He was particularly confused by a monkey lamp he found.

When Dean came back in, Castiel turned and looked relieved. "Thank you."

Dean was still angry at the angel and just gave him an irritated look. He turned to Rory, "Where's Rand? I thought he was here."

"He's in my room reading." She turned to the angel, "Why didn't he come out during that display?"

Castiel picked up a picture and was examining it, "No one outside of this room would have noticed it." He never looked at her.

Dean Forester went into the kitchen and knocked on the door to Rory's old room. After a moment, Rand opened it and looked up at him curiously. "Are you my daddy?"

Ever since the day before, whenever Rand saw Dean, he asked the question. Dean Forester smiled at him and patiently answered him yet again, "Yeah, Dude, I'm your daddy." He reached down and picked up his son.

Riding on his dad's arm, Rand put his arm around his father's neck, "Where's the other one?"

Dean smiled, "He's not here right now."

"He's nice."

"Yeah, he is." He turned to take his boy into the living room. "There's someone else we want you to meet."

Rand looked curiously toward the living room, "Okay"

Castiel was standing in the middle of the room when Dean came in with his son. Dean put Rand down and walked him over to the angel, still holding his hand. He crouched down to be closer to his son's height, "Rand, this is Castiel."

Rand looked at the unassuming appearing man in front of him and smiled, "Hello."

Castiel, who didn't have any experience with children, just looked at him.

When Castiel didn't speak to him, but continued to stare, Rand got nervous and moved closer to his father.

Sensing her child's fear, Rory moved over to his other side and took his other hand. She looked at Castiel and growled, "Stop scaring him."

Castiel looked at her and then turned toward Dean Winchester. "He's too young, I can't tell just by looking at him."

Dean slumped a little in disappointment. "Is there a test you can do? Can you tell if you touch him?"

"The only thing I _could_ do would be… unpleasant."

Dean and Rory were alarmed at that, "What do you mean?" Rory demanded.

Lorelai moved over to Rand and took him out of the room again. This was no conversation to have in front of the child. She settled him once again in the bedroom and handed him the book he had started to read earlier. When she noticed the title, she sat down beside him, "Are you reading this?"

He nodded.

She was surprised, "Do you get it?"

He looked at her solemnly and nodded again. "Why?"

"Well, this book was written for kids a little older than you. Is it scary?"

"G-ma, it's just a book! Harry will win, he always does."

Lorelai laughed and hugged him. "Yeah, he'll always win." She hugged him until he started to squirm and then she laughed, kissed him on the forehead and got up from the bed. As she left the room, she glanced back and saw that he was already absorbed in the third Harry Potter book.

Lorelai moved back into the living room and Dean and Rory gave her grateful looks. She turned to Dean Winchester. "When did you find out about Sam?"

"Just before Dad died… he told me that something…bad was going on with Sam. Sam found out the rest just before I killed Yellow Eyes."

"So you had no idea anything had happened until John told you?"

Dean shook his head, "No"

"What did Yellow Eyes do to Sam?"

Dean shook his head, "It isn't mine to tell."

Dean Forester moved over to Dean. He knew Sam would answer him if he asked, so he held out his hand, "Give me your cell phone, I need to call him."

Nodding reluctantly, Dean Winchester handed his phone over to the other man.

Dean Forester took the phone and stepped outside. Rory moved over to the window to watch her husband.

Dean had moved out into the yard and was pacing around. She watched him talking intently into the phone. Then he stopped pacing and Rory could tell he was shocked. A moment later, she watched her strong, amazing husband drop to his knees and bend forward. He was shaking his head and then he dropped the phone on the ground.

In the next instant, Rory whirled around and ran for the front door. Dean Winchester and Lorelai followed her. Rory ran to her husband and dropped down beside him. He was gasping and rocking back and forth. She put her arms around him and picked up the phone. "Sam? What is it?" But Sam was no longer on the other end.

She turned to her husband and shook him. Frantically, she repeated, "What is it?"

Dean Winchester moved over to the couple and helped Dean Forester to his feet. Then the older man just hugged him. When Dean Forester had calmed down somewhat, they helped him back into the house.

As they entered the living room, Dean Forester looked at Castiel. With an agonized look, he said, "Do whatever you have to. I… we have to know."

Rory was being held up by her mother and repeated once again, "What is it?" She was nearly bent over with panic. Her husband's reaction to whatever Sam had told him had frightened her beyond anything she had ever experienced.

Dean Forester finally moved over to his wife and embraced her. "Please Rory, trust me. You don't want to know."

She pointed to the angel, "He said it would be unpleasant. Is he going to hurt our baby?"

Castiel moved over to her, "It will only be for a moment or two, but yes, it will hurt."

Dean was still holding her because she was approaching hysterics, "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to touch him… if he's been infected… I'll know by touching his soul."

Rory was hysterical and that just upped it a few notches, "INFECTED?" Dean grabbed her to him and tried to calm her down. "INFECTED WITH WHAT?"

Dean clutched her tighter, "Rory, you need to calm down! You're screaming and Rand can hear you!"

As Rory was fighting her husband's grip, Castiel reached past him and touched her forehead. Immediately, Rory collapsed into unconsciousness.

Alarmed, Dean whirled around to the angel, "What the hell did you just do?"

"She's fine, she's asleep."

Dean lifted his wife and carried her over to the couch.

Dean Winchester had been watching the scene and holding Lorelai back from entering the chaos. Dean Forester had calmed down a little, Rory was asleep, Lorelai was crying in his arms and he looked at Castiel. He sighed, "Well, I guess some parents are protective of their children." He moved Lorelai over to the couch to be near her daughter.

Castiel looked at him, "Your father was."

Dean shook his head, "Not really, he left us alone as soon as he could."

"He kept you with him as much as possible. It's why he didn't want Sam to leave."

Dean was surprised by that, "How the hell do you know that?"

"I was told everything… before I went to rescue you from Hell."

Alarmed, Dean looked over at Lorelai and Dean Forester and noted the shock on their faces. He sighed and rubbed his face, "It isn't the time for this conversation."

Lorelai looked at him, shocked, "You weren't kidding when you said a lot had happened!" She was reeling from that disturbing news, but she couldn't deal with it right now.

Dean wouldn't look at her, "Yeah."

Despite the bombshell Castiel had just dropped, Dean Forester was more concerned about his wife. He was sitting on the coffee table watching her sleep, "How long will she be like this?"

"She'll wake up soon."

"Then let's do this before she does." He turned and looked at the angel, "Can you put Rand to sleep?"

"Yes" Castiel had no emotion on his face.

"Will it help?" Dean asked him hopefully.

"Even in his sleep, he'll feel it." Castiel was looking at the man. "I can make it so he doesn't remember, though."

Dean Forester was disappointed, but he nodded, "Okay." His stomach was roiling and he knew he was about to subject his little boy to something 'unpleasant'; he somehow knew it would be far worse than the angel had implied. He stood up and led the way into the other room; the angel followed him.

As he passed her, Lorelai reached out and grabbed his hand. "Dean, do you want me to come in with you?"

There were tears in his eyes as he shook his head at her. He nodded toward his wife, "Stay with her."

She nodded.

Dean Winchester just looked at him; waiting for an indication of what the other man wanted him to do. Dean Forester just shook his head as he went past.

Dean stayed in the living room and waited, leaning against the stair newel post. He watched Lorelai and Rory, and remained alert to their reactions.

Within moments an agonizing cry came from the bedroom and Rory woke up. "RAND!" She scrambled to her feet and Lorelai couldn't stop her. But Dean did. She was fighting him as the screaming continued from the bedroom. His superior strength held her and she was writhing in his arms, frantically trying to get to her son. Lorelai moved over to help him hold her daughter even though she, too, was crying.

An eternal moment later there was silence.

Rory had collapsed in Dean's arms and was sobbing when the noise from the other room stopped.

At the silence, Rory stopped crying and Dean once again helped her over to the couch where Lorelai joined her. They all looked at the door to Rory's room and waited for the occupants to come out.

Castiel was the first to emerge; he was pulling down his coat sleeve. Dean Forester followed carrying Rand, who was still asleep. He came into the living room and deposited the boy in his mother's arms and then he turned around and went back to the small bathroom and closed the door.

Castiel looked at Dean Winchester whose face was beyond devastated. Dean fervently hoped he never had to hear such a thing again.

Castiel waited for Dean Forester to come out before he told them what he had found. While they waited, he looked at Rory and Lorelai; he nodded at the boy, "He won't remember, nor will he feel any pain when he wakes up."

Rory nodded, "I'll remember and Dean will remember." She took a deep breath, "We'll always know that we caused him unspeakable pain. It's burned into our soul." She nodded at the bathroom door. "He's stronger than me. I would never have let you do it."

Dean Winchester looked at Rory, "He needed to know. So did Sam... and so did I." He moved around and crouched down in front of her, "Don't ever ask why we needed to know. Just trust that it was _that important_."

She nodded. She clutched her child tighter and started to play with his hair. She was rocking with him just like when he was a baby. He didn't tolerate it much anymore, so she took the opportunity.

Dean Forester came out of the small bathroom just then and moved slowly over to Rory. Lorelai got up and helped him sit down. He looked at his son, cradled in his mother's arms and then turned to the angel. "Well?"

Castiel looked at the family sitting there, looking at him, and waiting, "The Yellow Eyed Demon did not get to your son. The child has not been infected."

Wanting to give the family privacy, Dean Winchester stepped away from them and turned his back. He moved over to the angel and whispered in his ear, "Please take me to the inn. I need to tell Sam."

Without saying another word, Castiel put his hand on Dean Winchester's shoulder and they were gone.

**SPNGGSPNGG**

Castiel deposited Dean in front of the door of the room that Sam was in and was gone an instant later. Since he didn't have a key, he knocked. When Sam opened the door and saw the look in his brother's eyes, he thought the worst.

"Yellow Eye's got to him?" Sam was breathing heavily and he was trying not to loose complete control. Dean moved into the room and cast his eyes around as if searching for something.

"No, Rand is fine. That bastard didn't get to him. Castiel did, though and I let him." Dean's voice was heavy and low. He could barely contain the pain he was feeling. He moved over to his duffle and ran his hand around in it until he came up with a fifth of Jack. He removed the lid and started drinking straight from the bottle.

Sam could see that his brother was extremely upset, but when Dean said Rand was fine all he could feel was an enormous relief. "What is it?" He moved over to his brother and put his hand on Dean's shoulder. "What's wrong? What do you mean Castiel got to him."

Dean looked at his brother, but never answered him. He shrugged off his brother's hand and continued to take long pulls from the whiskey bottle. He moved over to the bed and propped up the pillows, and then he sat down and leaned back against the headboard. He fully intended to drink the entire bottle as fast as possible and hopefully sink into oblivion – at least for a little while.

About an hour later, there was a knock on the door. Sam had been sitting at the table in the room, trying to read and keeping an eye on his brother. He got up, looked through the security peep hole and saw that it was Lorelai. She looked upset and Sam opened the door quickly.

"Where is he?" Lorelai moved into the room and saw Dean slightly slumped on the bed. He was awake, but bleary eyed and clearly drunk. The bottle he was holding had maybe an inch or two left in it. He knew she was angry and he had been waiting for her to give it to him with both barrels.

"Do you want ush to leave? I'm afraid I can't drive, but Shammy there can. We'll be out of here in about ten minutesh." He attempted to get up, but his balance was severely compromised and he fell back onto the bed.

"Leave?" Lorelai was still angry, but she was also confused. "Why are you leaving? Didn't you promise Sookie a ride in the car? She's been looking forward to it. She has a day off tomorrow and was hoping you would take her then."

"We're leaving because _you_," Dean pointed to her with the fingers not holding the bottle, then he pointed to himself, "are _pished_ at me." He was squinting at her since she wasn't in complete focus.

"You're right; I am 'pished' at you." She sat on the bed across from him. "But you don't get to leave until you explain."

Dean was almost completely drunk, but she wasn't making any sense and he couldn't imagine what she wanted explained. He looked at Sam, who had been watching all of this without comment. He turned back to Lorelai, "You were there, there ishn't much more to talk about."

"There's plenty to talk about!" Lorelai got up and stood over him. She was tall enough that he had to roll his head to see her. "You went to Hell? Did you die? How did you earn Hell?"

Sam's mouth had fallen open in surprise, "You _told_ her that?"

Dean glanced over at his brother, "No, Cash…tiel did."

"What did you _do_?" Lorelai demanded.

Suddenly more sober than he wanted to be, Dean decided to answer her, "Sammy died." He choked out the words. "What was I supposed to do?" He took another hard pull on the bottle in his hand.

Shocked, Lorelai looked at the younger man, "You… died?" Sam nodded, not looking at her.

"How… what did… how did you come back?" Lorelai's face showed more than shock.

The look in Sam's eyes showed the devastation he still felt at what Dean had done. "Dean made a deal."

"A deal?" Lorelai didn't understand what he meant.

Quietly, he answered, "His soul for my life."

"Oh my God!" She sat back down on the bed across from Dean. She reached over to him and took the bottle from his hand. After taking a good drink from it, she set it on the table out of Dean's reach. Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she looked at Dean. "John would _never_ have wanted you to do that."

"Why not? He did it for me." Dean carefully got up from the bed and reached unsteadily for the bottle. Once he had it, he fell heavily back onto his bed and resumed drinking.

Tears started in Lorelai's eyes. "John's in Hell?"

Sam answered because Dean was busy drinking, "We think he escaped when the Devil's Gate was opened by Jake. He helped Dean kill Yellow Eyes."

Lorelai looked at Sam, "Maybe I should take notes. Did you make a deal? Is that why Dean is here now?"

Sam couldn't look her in the eyes, "I tried, but no one would deal. Castiel saved him."

Lorelai shook her head. "You two boys... there's something _wrong_ with you. But then, I think there's something wrong with me, too. I think I understand all this." Once again she removed the bottle from Dean's hand. "Stop it." Waving the bottle in his face, she asked, "Is this what you do now? Drink to forget Hell?"

He tried to reach for it, but she held it away from him. "Nope, today I'm drinking to forget a child's scream." When he reached again for the bottle, he nearly fell off the bed.

Lorelai took a deep breath, shocked, "Of course. John tried to blame himself for the fire at our house. I recognize the mind-set." She gave the bottle to Sam and tapped Dean's legs with the back of her hand, "Move over."

Dean moved his legs and she sat down beside him. Then she grabbed the lapels of his shirt, pulled him up into her arms and just held him tight. Quietly she asked him, "Do you know what Rand did when he woke up?"

Dean just leaned into her arms for a moment and shook his head.

She was holding Dean tightly with one hand on his neck and the other on his back, "He smiled at his mother and asked for a cookie."

Dean was crying silently, and she continued, "He's fine! Luckily he was in his G-ma's house and I _always_ have cookies!" She held him for a long moment more and then tapped him on his back. "In a little while, I'm going to send up some food. I want you to eat it!"

Dean leaned back on the bed, but he wouldn't look at her. He wiped his face with his hand and nodded.

Lorelai got up from the bed and turned to Sam. "I'll send up something; I'll have Sookie decide what." She pointed to the bottle, "Dump that!"

He nodded and walked her to the door. As she left, she turned and looked at him, "I'll talk to you later. I'm working tomorrow afternoon. Don't leave before you hear from me."

Sam closed the door and looked at his brother, "What happened?"

Dean never answered him; he had fallen asleep.

**AN: Sorry, this chapter is pretty dark. I don't know where it comes from...**

**I borrowed something from a writer on FanFiction called Sameuspegasus. The writer did a Bones/Supernatural crossover called "The Dead Man in the Lab". (It's a great story, you should look for it.) Anyway, when Castiel tells Booth and Brennan he's an Angel of the Lord, Booth immediately starts to pray. Every time he sees Castiel after that, he prays. Castiel actually started to get a little annoyed; Booth was distracting him. I thought that was a rather hilarious plot point, so I borrowed it (with the author's permission, of course).  
><strong>**Thanks, Sali.**


	3. 13 October 2008

**13 October 2008**

The following morning, Dean and Sam appeared in the dining room for breakfast after the main rush had passed. Dean was hanging his head from the headache he had and Sam was just looking at him. He still didn't know what had happened the day before at Lorelai's house. He had a feeling he never would.

As they sat down, a server approached and placed a small plate and some orange juice in front of Dean; on the plate were two pills and a note from Sookie. She then returned with coffee for both boys.

Dean picked up the note and read it,

"_Dean, take these, they're Tylenol_

_and don't argue. Breakfast will be _

_out in a moment."_

He snorted, but took the pills and drank the orange juice. He handed the note over to his brother. Sam read it and smiled, "I thought it was her day off."

Dean just shrugged; he was leaning over the table. His head hurt too much to want to communicate. He started sipping his coffee.

A moment later, the server returned with food for both boys. Dean's plate had sausage, eggs and hash browns with cheese; and another note. Dean knew the food should have turned his stomach, but he decided it was perfect and he started to eat. He picked up the note, read it and laughed.

"_This is Lorelai's favourite breakfast _

_when she's been drinking too much._

_It worked with your Dad, too._

_Don't worry, you'll keep it down._

_I want that ride!"_

Grinning a little, he handed the second note to Sam. "She's a pushy broad, isn't she? You can't tell just from looking at her."

Sam was eating the fresh fruit, yogurt and granola that had been sent out for him and he just smiled.

Once again, after they had finished their food, they lingered at the table; a short while later, Sookie came out of the kitchen. She sat down and looked at Dean, examining him, "Lorelai told me you were upset yesterday and that you nearly killed a bottle of Jack. Do you feel better, now?

Dean nodded, but didn't say anything.

Then she took a deep breath and sighed, "I should probably tell you... I don't know what happened to Rory and Dean eight years ago, but I know it wasn't drugs. I figure whatever happened _then_ is why you boys are here _now_."

Both boys looked at her; Sam was trying to think of something to say, but Dean just looked at her. His expression wasn't giving anything away, "What makes you say that?"

"I don't know. I just know I'm right. John never told me what it was he was here for, but I could tell it was something… dark. He had a terrible time the last time he was here. We were still at the Independence back then. The fire at Lorelai's – well _he_ killed a bottle the next day."

"Lorelai and Rory were never the same after John and you boys came here the first time." There were tears in her eyes, but they didn't fall. "They would still make jokes, drink copious amounts of coffee, make obscure references, eat appalling amounts of junk food, but…" She shook her head, "They weren't the same."

Dean looked at her and nodded, silently asking her to continue.

"Rory had been intense about her school work before, but after, it was as if it was a lifeline for her. She and Dean were homeschooled the rest of that year and part of the next. After the baby was born, Rory was either doing school work or taking care of her son, sometimes both at the same time. She was beyond focused; it was as if she was _possessed_, or… or… _driven_. Because she was so focused, she kept Dean on track. They both graduated on time and Rory graduated with honours. It all looked normal, but it wasn't."

She paused for a moment, perhaps waiting for Dean or Sam to say something. When they didn't, she continued, "But the clue… the clue was Lane. Everyone in town knew that Lane's mother was a harridan. She pretty much controlled Lane's every movement and Lane allowed it, but when Rory became pregnant… well, the neighbor heard everything. The Kim's neighbor is a terrible gossip – what she heard, _everyone_ found out about. Lane wasn't being quiet about it and Mrs. Kim wasn't either, for that matter. Lane never backed down – never. It was as if whatever had happened to Rory… well, Lane wasn't going to let her mother stop her."

"Lane never missed her mother's curfew and obeyed most of her mother's rules, she kept her grades up, she attended church regularly, but she rarely spoke to her mother in more than one word sentences. As soon as she graduated, she was out the door. It wasn't until Lane met Zach, that her relationship with her mother started to heal. Zach is actually the one who brought them back together. When Zach wanted to marry Lane, he approached her mother first."

"Anyway, after your visit, Lane was… different; more confident, she made more decisions on her own and she started to fight her mother more often. She became a, sort of, well… a _warrior_ and their relationship was seriously damaged. Mrs. Kim could and did prevent Lane from getting her driver's license in a last ditch effort to control her, but it didn't stop Lane. She would go to Hartford on the bus whenever she felt like it. She never told her mother where she was going or what she was doing, but she would come back with a notebook. She would store it at the inn or I saw it once at the Gilmore's house or maybe she kept it in her locker at school; but I know she _never_ took it home."

She looked guilty and paused for a minute while she decided whether she should confess this next part. She glanced up at Sam. He was looking at her with curiosity, but not censure. Quietly she said, "I looked at it. One time! It was full of references to the occult. There were weird symbols and Latin phrases and pentagrams inside circles. I distinctly remember one inside a sun's corona." She looked at Dean, "Dean Forester was an athlete, well… he still is. Sometimes, he goes for a run past my house. Occasionally, he runs without a shirt on." She blushed and worked her jaw a little, "He's lovely to look at…" She looked around the room waiting for the blush on her face to let up a little. The boys grinned at that. Finally she continued, "There's a tattoo on his lower back, you can't see all of it, but it's the same symbol as the one I saw in Lane's notebook."

Dean took pity on her. He pulled down the collar of his shirt, "It looks like this one, doesn't it?"

Sookie's eyes widened with shock and she just nodded. "What does it mean?"

Dean shook his head, "It doesn't matter." He smiled gently at her, "You should just forget about it; if you can."

She started to protest, but Dean leaned toward her to whisper in her ear, she leaned toward him as well, "You don't want to know. _I_ don't want you to know. Your heart is pure and your soul is without blemish. I need you to stay that way." He kissed her on the cheek near her ear and pulled away. Speaking in a regular tone of voice, he sat up and said, "I'll take you for a ride later today."

He stood up and left the room, Sam followed.

After they left the room, Dean looked at his brother, "We need to talk to Lane."

**SPNGGSPNGG**

They went to Luke's Diner in search of the girl first, but the guy behind the counter told them it was her day off. He wouldn't tell them where she lived, but did tell them her married name. They found her in the tiny little town phone book.

They arrived at her house and approached the door. Just as Sam knocked on the door, they heard a crash and then a scream. A one or two moments later, the door was flung open by Lane. She took one look at the men at her door and thrust the small child she was holding into Dean's hands. Then she disappeared back into the house. Dean was totally shocked to be unexpectedly holding a toddler and he followed Lane into the house; holding the baby before him. He was carefully maneuvering around the room which was strewn with toys and sippy cups as if it was a mine field and he was holding the mine.

Sam followed behind him into the room. He was moving slowly and carefully as well, but he was also smirking because he'd rarely seen his big brother look so rattled. The scream they had been hearing became louder as Lane came rushing into the room from the hall and passed them as she flew into the kitchen holding a clone to the child Dean was holding. They also noticed the clone was screaming and blood was running from the small child's nose.

Sam immediately followed Lane into the kitchen and Dean set the small child he'd been holding down on the floor. He finally noticed that the child had a growing bump on his forehead.

"Sam! I need an icepack!" He yelled to be heard over the screams still coming from the kitchen.

A moment later, Sam opened the door and tossed a towel wrapped bundle toward Dean, who caught it one handed. Dean sat down on the floor and pulled the little boy onto his lap along with a dump truck and a sippy cup with some juice in it. Carefully he placed the ice pack on the child's head and held it there. The little boy ignored Dean and the icepack. He held the juice in one hand and the truck in the other. Occasionally he took a drink while he played with the truck. After a few more earsplitting minutes, the child in the kitchen stopped screaming and in the silence, Dean could hear Sam murmuring to Lane and water running. A moment later, they both came out of the kitchen and moved over to the couch.

Lane smiled at Dean, sitting on the floor with Steve in his lap, she sighed, "You ever have one of those days?"

He smiled back, "Pretty much every day."

Sam was looking at his brother with an unreadable expression on his face. Dean was holding the child on his lap with care and he looked like it was something he did every day.

Lane was gesturing to the child Dean was holding, "They collided; Kwan's nose versus Steve's head. Guess which one was harder?" She looked at Steve in Dean's lap, "Does he have a bump?"

"A small one."

"Well, your timing is pretty good; I couldn't get the blood to stop." She turned to Sam, "Thanks."

Sam smiled at her and Dean replied, "Sam was always the best of us as a medic." Lane just nodded.

Dean and Sam exchanged looks; Sam's expression clearly told his brother to take the lead on this one. Dean cleared his throat. "Lane, we were talking to Sookie earlier… she told us something… and we just want to clear it up."

Lane looked at him curiously, "Okay."

The look in Dean's eyes was intense, "Are you hunting?"

Lane spluttered and laughed a little, "I… am a rank coward. Why would she tell you I was hunting?"

"She didn't, but she told us about your notebook… we just assumed."

Sam was watching Lane and when she started to look upset, he interjected. "She told us she looked inside the notebook at the same time she told us that she knew drugs were not involved in what happened with Rory and Dean eight years ago."

"She knows?"

Dean answered, "Not everything, not even some things, but she was curious back then and she looked in your notebook and saw a symbol and now that same symbol is on Dean's back." Once again, Dean pulled back his shirt and showed Lane the tattoo.

Lane nodded. "I shouldn't be surprised; curiosity was always something she fought. Leaving it at the inn was probably foolish…" She looked down at her boys and saw that Kwan was asleep. She got up and moved him into the boys' room. Then she came back and got Steve out of Dean's arms and did the same.

Dean got up from the floor and moved over to a chair.

Lane returned and ran her hands through her hair. "No, I'm not hunting, I'm a researcher and, I suppose you could call me a dispatcher."

Sam looked at her with curiosity. "What do you mean?"

"Your dad told me I had good instincts – first time we met." Both boys vaguely remembered that and they nodded. "I find hunts and locate the nearest hunters and send them."

Dean was surprised, "You're kidding!"

"Nope.

"No seriously, you're kidding."

Lane grinned, "Nope. Angelina taught me how to read the signs. I've never been wrong. I sent John on one once; down in New Orleans. Just before Katrina actually. I can tell you, I had a few sleepless nights on that one."

Dean cleared his throat, "I took that job. I barely got out of there ahead of the storm. I was in evacuation traffic for most of a day." He looked at Sam, "That was just before I came to get you."

Lane nodded, "I'm glad you got out okay. John never told me that he sent _you_. He just said he'd take care of it."

Dean nodded. There was nothing more to say so, as one, they stood up to leave.

"Okay…" Sam looked at her and smiled; then he gestured to the boys' room, "How old are they?"

"They're one and a half."

Dean looked surprised, "Same age as Lorelai's?"

Lane smiled, "They're about a month older." She looked at the boys, "Can you imagine? A small town like this; with two sets of twins born so close together? And then a third set born the following year? It was the most excitement this town has seen in… well, ever. Lorelai and I held a joint First Birthday bash for them last spring in the square and Taylor was threatening to create a Twin Festival out of it! Especially after Sookie had hers! He kept going on about some town in Ohio..."

They laughed.

She turned to Sam, "Thanks again, Sam, for…" She waved her hands at the boys' room.

Sam smiled down at her, "It's no problem – take care."

The boys left and Lane closed the door with a sigh.

**SPNGGSPNGG**

Later that day, Dean pulled up across the street from Sookie's house. Two small children were playing in the front yard and Sookie was coming out of her house. A man was following her, carrying two babies in his arms and talking urgently with her. Dean assumed this was Jackson, but made no attempt to go meet him. He was afraid one of those babies would be plopped into his arms like before. He leaned against his car with his arms crossed and waited for her.

"Jackson! Don't worry! The kids'll be fine while I'm gone." She giggled as she turned around to him. She put her hand on his face and leaned over the babies to kiss him. Then she kissed the babies and waved to her other children. "Bye, bye! I'll be home soon!"

She walked up to Dean, who smiled at her, took her arm and escorted her around to the passenger side door. He opened it and helped her in and then moved around to the driver's side. As he did, he gave Jackson a cocky little grin and a salute and then he got into the car and drove away. Sookie was grinning and giggling excitedly beside him.

**SPNGGSPNGG**

After his drive with Sookie, Dean arrived back at the inn to find Lorelai at the front desk, on the phone. He was grinning as he thought about the ride with Sookie. Lorelai smiled at him, but stopped him from going to his room and pointed to the library, wordlessly asking him to wait for her there.

He lost his grin and just nodded and went into the little room. He knew she was getting ready to kick them out. While he was waiting, Sam came in.

Sam smiled at him, "Hey, how was your drive?"

Dean smiled a little at the memory, "She chatted and giggled the entire time. I managed to make her husband jealous and she loved it."

Sam grinned at him, "I think she has a little crush on you." He paused for a moment, "I think you have a little crush on her, too."

Dean gave him a look and ignored his brother's last comment, "Yeah well, we'll be gone soon, so it doesn't matter."

"What do you mean?"

"Lorelai stopped me from going up to the room. I assume it's because she's wants to kick us out in person."

Sam had doubts about that, but didn't voice them, "I don't know, maybe. She called me down."

At that moment, Lorelai came in with a tray of cups and a coffee pot. She set it down on the table and started pouring.

As she handed them cups, she grinned at them, "I don't know if you noticed it or not, but I practically inhale coffee. It's my lifeline. It drives Luke crazy; he keeps telling me it'll kill me."

Dean and Sam exchanged a look and took sips of the hot drink. They didn't say anything.

Lorelai took a couple of sips of her coffee before she started talking. She took a deep breath and sighed, "We owe your dad… everything." She was looking down at the cup she held in her hands. "There's nothing we can do about that, though, because he's gone."

Then she looked at the boys, "But we can… honour him by taking care of his sons."

Dean was looking surprised at that, "Lorelai…"

She held up her hand, "Lane tells us things from time to time… so I have an idea about the work you do. And from what I understand… it takes you all over?"

The boys just nodded.

She continued, "Well, from now on, whenever you're in this area, please come see us; and call every once in a while to check in, like your dad did. Whenever you come here, you'll be welcome. There's a room for you when you need it; a safe haven."

She smiled at them, "This inn is an important thing to me. It's my home just as much as the one I share with Luke and the babies; so consider this your home, too."

She turned to Dean, "You had a bad day yesterday. I hope today has been better?"

He nodded.

She grinned, "Sookie called me. She said you made Jackson jealous. You walked her to the door, kissed her on the cheek and waited until she went into the house before you left."

Dean looked a little embarrassed and Sam was grinning again.

"She loved it! She'll think back on that and smile, which will make Jackson _crazy_. You made her whole year!"

Lorelai took another sip of her coffee. She looked a little uncomfortable about this next part. She put down her cup, "When you arrived the other day, Luke called me. He said you were alive and in his diner. I can't tell you how happy I was to hear you two were okay! Later though, Lane called, she told me to really look at you boys. She said something was seriously wrong. She only saw you once before, but she knew something more than just John's death had happened. We've learned to trust Lane's instincts."

Neither Sam nor Dean was looking at her.

"Now I know what it was." She reached over and grasped Dean's hand. "You need to rest; for a couple of days… if you can. Stay here and rest." She took Sam's hand then, "You, too. So much has happened. Stay."

She got up and left.


	4. 14 & 15 October 2008

**14 October 2008**

The boys spent the day at the inn. They tried to sleep in a little. They walked around the town and had lunch at Luke's. They talked about memories from their boyhood and some of the things they had each done while they had been separated during Sam's college years. They kept away from recent events and just enjoyed each other's company. Then, in the afternoon, Sam took one of the horses out. He found that he still enjoyed it and wished he could do it more often. He tried to get Dean to join him, but his brother patiently explained that he preferred 275 horses to one. Dean stayed at the inn and fiddled with the car.

That night, they ate a dinner that Sookie sent out and once again, it was perfect to their tastes. Then, for fun, they went to the little local movie theatre and watched a B-movie they'd seen a hundred times before in a hundred different motel rooms in the middle of a hundred sleepless nights. Everyone they encountered that whole day greeted them kindly and treated them like friends.

Except Miss Patty, she scared them, but in the nicest possible way.

After they returned to their room, they lay on their beds and watched a little TV and drank a couple of beers. Then they fell asleep and had a peaceful night.

**AN1: This is my birth date, so I described a good day for them. One I wouldn't mind spending...  
>Thanks, <strong>

**Sali.**

* * *

><p><strong>15 October 2008<strong>

When Dean woke up the next morning, he found Sam on the computer. Without asking, he knew that Sam was looking for something to do. He rubbed his face and got up from the bed, "Getting antsy?"

Sam was concentrating on the computer screen and just nodded.

Dean sighed, "Okay"

After his shower, Dean and Sam appeared in the dining room. Once again a server approached and without asking, offered coffee immediately. She then turned around and entered the kitchen without taking their order. Both of the boys thought that was funny and were interested to see what Sookie would send out.

A few moments later, the server returned with a waffle that covered the whole plate for Dean with a side of bacon and for Sam, there was an egg white omelet again, but this time it was filled with spinach and Portobello mushrooms and she included a side of fresh fruit. The boys dug in and ate their food with relish. The peaceful day before had really helped and they knew it.

After breakfast, they went back to their room. Dean decided to clean his gun and Sam went back to his research. They spent a quiet morning doing what they enjoyed.

Just before lunch, there was a call on the room phone. Dean answered it.

Hello?

"_Hi, __Dean, __it's __Lane."_

He gestured to Sam to pay attention, "Hi, Lane, what's up?"

"_I __don't __know. __Did __you __see __a __report __out __of __Pennsylvania?"_

"Pennsylvania? I don't know if Sam saw anything or not." He looked at Sam, who shook his head.

"_Okay, __well, __I __saw __something __about __a __possible __vampire __attack __in __a __small __town __called __Canonsburg. __It's __in __the __southwest __part __of __the __state. __It's __a __weird __one, __though."_

Dean smiled, "Vampires, huh? How's it weird?"

"_The __sole __witness __flat __out _said _that __a __vampire __did __it. __The __report __down plays __it, __but__…__"_

"Okay, I'll pass this on and see if Sam wants to look into it."

"_I'm __sorry."_

"What for?"

"_Telling __you __about __this __when __you're __trying __to __rest."_

"Actually, Sam's getting antsy and was already looking, so don't worry about it."

"_Well, __I __guess __that's __okay. " _She paused for a moment, "_If __you __decide __to __take __it, __don't __leave __without __stopping __in __to __say __goodbye. I__'ll __be __at __Luke's __until __7. __Meanwhile, __I'll __send __the __info __I've __got __to __Sam's __email_._" _She paused again, _"I __wouldn't __have __called __you, __but __you're __the __nearest __hunters."_

Dean gave her Sam's email address, "I'll tell him to look for it. Thanks, Lane."

After the email from Lane came in, Sam and Dean discussed it and decided to go ahead and take it; although Sam found it weird, too. "Vamps don't usually leave a witness alive."

Dean looked thoughtful, "True, but maybe he was full?"

Sam just shrugged.

After that, they informed Lorelai they were going to hit the road. At about 5:00 pm that afternoon, they exited the inn with their gear and walked toward their car. Sam was looking at the sky and all around him with a perplexed look on his face. As they were loading the trunk, another car pulled up beside them. Rory, Dean and Rand all got out.

While Dean was pulling Gilly out of her car seat, Rory walked over to the boys, "You weren't going to leave without saying goodbye, were you?"

The boys looked at each other and Sam shrugged, smiling. Rory took his hand and led him over to her son. "Rand, remember Sam?"

"Uh huh, he's not my daddy."

Dean Forester laughed. "That's right, Dude, I'm your daddy."

Sam crouched down and looked at the little boy with a smile, "You know, 'It's a wise child that knows its own father'." Rand reached up and hugged him and Sam gratefully hugged him back.

Dean was holding back for fear the baby would be handed to him. He had a healthy fear of it ever happening again. Rory wouldn't let him stay separate though. She went back and grabbed his hand and pulled him forward. "Hey, Rand, this is Sam's brother, Dean."

Rand looked up at him, "Hello, I saw you three days ago with the other man."

Dean just looked at him and smiled, "That's right. His name was Castiel."

Rand frowned at him, "He scared me a little."

Dean nodded, "That's fine; he scares me a little, too."

"Really?"

"Yeah" Dean crouched down to Rand's level. "I don't think you'll ever see him again, though. Okay?"

With a happy smile on his face, the little boy repeated, "Really?"

"Really" Dean held out his hand in the universal high five and Rand hit it. Then, in a completely surprising move, Rand hugged Dean. It didn't take long for Dean to get over the surprise, and he hugged the little boy back.

While Dean was talking to Rand, Sam had pulled Dean Forester aside. He was a little nervous that the man would treat him differently now that he knew Sam's secret, but Dean just treated him the same. They were having a quiet conversation with each other and then Sam threw back his head and laughed.

At that, Dean looked at his brother and smiled. He hadn't seen him laugh like that in years. It was nice to see. Dean stood up and turned around to see Lorelai and Sookie coming out of the inn.

Dean Forester came over and shook Dean Winchester's hand. He looked the older man in the eye, "Thanks, man. I mean it. You… and your dad... well, you saved our boy. We can't say it enough."

Dean was a little embarrassed about this; he wasn't used to getting a thank you, so he just nodded. At that point, Lorelai and Sookie came over to him and each gave him a hug.

Lorelai took his face and kissed him, "You will come back; whenever you can. I meant what I said the other day."

He was a little choked up so he didn't speak, he just nodded.

Sookie then hugged him while Lorelai went over to Sam to give him a hug and kiss. "Come back and give me another ride; make my husband _nuts_." She giggled and went over to Sam.

Both Sam and Dean felt slightly uncomfortable, but in a good way, when all these displays were over. Sam walked over to Rory and hugged her, then got into the car. Dean did the same. He started it and rolled down his window.

Lorelai moved over to it and leaned down. "Come back as soon as you can."

Dean grinned at her, but still didn't say anything. He wouldn't make any promises. He pulled out and drove away.

After they stopped at Luke's to say goodbye to him and Lane, they were driving down the road, and Dean looked over at Sam who still had a big grin on his face. "What?"

Sam looked at him and smiled, "Do you remember when Sookie said she watched Dean running and how sometimes he runs without a shirt?"

Dean was watching the road and his brother at the same time, "Uh huh."

"Dean told me he does it on purpose; every once in a while. To give her a little thrill. Lorelai told him to do it."

Dean laughed at that.

They were silent for awhile longer, and then he noticed that Sam was looking at the sky; he had a mystified look on his face.

"Something wrong?"

Still looking all around him, Sam answered, "No, but it's weird…"

"What's weird?"

"I don't know… it's as if… all the colour was leaching out of the world."

Dean looked around. Then he shrugged, "Looks okay to me."

**The End**

**AN2: Yup, I really do think I'm hysterical… **

**AN3: I want to thank everyone who marked this story, my other stories or my name for alerts and also the ones who have reviewed my stories. I realize what a boon it is to receive those emails, and I'll start paying that forward more often.**

**Thanks, **

**Sali.**


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